Making the Most of Your Internship

Student Life › Career Services ›
Submitted by kgadbaw on Wed, 01/26/2011 - 10:24am
in

                      Making the Most of Your Internship

  1. Know what you want. This will make you seem focused and motivated to a potential employer. Be careful not to take on too many different things, as you have limited time. Consider your goals, strengths, and expectations.

  2. Define job expectations. Ask questions. Know your responsibilities. See if you can (or must) make a final presentation, keep a journal, and conduct informational interviews with employees. Make sure you know how you’ll be evaluated, and that your sponsor is also clear on all these things.

  3. Maximize your time on the job.
  • Be responsible – show up on time, work hard, do your best on ALL tasks, and limit socializing.
  • Take initiative – volunteer for projects, attend meetings/seminars/conferences that are relevant, and ask for help if you’re not getting enough guidance.
  • Be self sufficient – don’t ask questions about things you could find out yourself.
  • Network – arrange for informational interviews, interact socially with the rest of the staff when you can, and ask others about their jobs (how they got them, pros and cons, etc.)
  • Observe company culture – this can tell you a lot about the industry as a whole.
  • Learn about the business – know your organization’s history, standing in the market, goals, clients, and competitors.
  • Use your experience to get a job – stay in touch with your contacts, and keep a copy of any reports, articles, or presentations you worked on to create a portfolio or demonstrate your experience to the next potential employer.

                           After Your Internship is Over

  1. Don’t look at your internship as an isolated part of your college experience. Use the experience to help plan your next steps. Make an appointment with the Career Services office if you need some advice or other help with this part of the process.

  2. Inventory all your intern duties and job areas you were exposed to. Use this to update your resume, or start one if you haven’t already done so.

  3. Take care of all correspondence. SEND THANK YOU NOTES, and request letters of recommendation while your great work and wonderful personality are still fresh in your sponsor’s head.

  4. Build on your internship experience. If you liked it, start searching for your next opportunity in that field, keep networking, and inform your professors. If you didn’t like the internship, make an appointment with a counselor in the Career Services office to discuss some alternatives that might be better for you.